Ferrari bulletin 163
Ferrari filed this with NHTSA as a service bulletin dated Jul 23, 2019, received Aug 15, 2019, about the equipment. It names 35 model years (2016–2019). A service bulletin is not a safety recall: it is the manufacturer telling its dealers how to diagnose or repair a condition, and whether the work is paid for depends on the warranty in force. Quoting the number at a service desk can save a diagnosis.
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What the bulletin says
Source: NHTSA's summary of the manufacturer's communicationCarbon Ceramic Brakes
Document filed under this number
| Document | Kind | Dated | NHTSA id | At NHTSA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 163 | Service bulletin | Jul 23, 2019 | 10163401 | PDF, 81 KB |
The summary is NHTSA’s abstract of the document, as filed under 49 CFR 579.5. One communication is usually filed as several documents — the bulletin, a dealer notice, an owner letter — and the number on any of them finds this page. A PDF link is shown only once NHTSA’s own server has been seen to serve that document; the rest are checked over the following nights. Quote the number at a service desk; it is what the dealer’s system is keyed on.
Model years it names
Source: as the manufacturer filed themAlso filed against model years this site has no page for: 2017 Ferrari 812 Superfast; 2018 Ferrari F12 TDF; 2016 Ferrari FXX-K; 2018 Ferrari Laferrari; 2018 Ferrari Laferrari Aperta.
A vehicle page’s bulletin list shows the newest few communications filed against that model year; the count there is every one.
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A weekly email, sent only in a week when Ferrari files something new with NHTSA for the model you pick — service bulletins, campaigns, warranty extensions, over-the-air notices, every model year. Nothing else is sent; one-click unsubscribe in every message. Separate from recall alerts.
What owners reported
Source: NHTSA complaint databaseOwners of the 30 model years this bulletin names have filed 14 complaints with NHTSA since 2015. 6 of them name Service Brakes — the same broad component group this bulletin is filed under. NHTSA groups complaints coarsely, so that means the same area of the vehicle, not necessarily the same fault.
On 6/4/21, my 2018 Ferrari 488 Gtb displayed a message in my left dash instrument panel prior to complete brake failure in my driveway that read "brake fluid low-drive to dealer slowly", that resulted in my Ferrari being totaled by state farm after I jumped out of the running and moving Ferrari onto my rear lawn between 10 to 15 miles…
2018 Ferrari 488 GTB · Service Brakes · filed with NHTSA Sep 19, 2021 · ODI 11433534
On Sunday Sept 4th, while attending an Edge Addicts track day event at Circuit of the Americas in Austin, My 2017 488 Was parts of the run group, 2 laps were completed prior to the brake pedal failing completely to the floor and causing my driver to loose all braking capability and slamming into a wall.
2017 Ferrari 488 GTB · Service Brakes · filed with NHTSA Sep 5, 2022 · ODI 11482908
The braking system has locked the brakes by itself without any user input or pressing of the brake pedal. This has occurred 3x, the first 2 while the car was moving, the last while it was parked in a garage, the 1st and 3rd times rendered the car immovable, the 2nd was movable after a restart.
2017 Ferrari 488 GTB · Service Brakes · filed with NHTSA Jul 22, 2018 · ODI 11112925
A complaint is one owner’s account, not a defect finding, and a bulletin is not a recall. Nothing here says this bulletin was issued because of these complaints, or that the repair it describes fixed them. Complaint files on this site begin in 2015.
More bulletins about the equipment
Source: same model, same component group25 other manufacturer communications filed against these Ferrari models under the same component group (equipment), newest first. The eight newest are listed; the rest are on the Ferrari list.
| Number | Kind | Dated | NHTSA’s summary |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2706 | Service bulletin | Jan 15, 2021 | Equipment for diagnosing eCall ECU |
| 2704 | Service bulletin | Nov 20, 2020 | Changes to latest update information in Workshop Manuals |
| 2680 | Service bulletin | Oct 1, 2020 | 812 Superfast Pre-Delivery Inspection â PDI procedures |
| 2678 | Service bulletin | Jul 30, 2020 | Portofino PDI procedures |
| 2668 | Service bulletin | Jun 4, 2020 | Replacing CCP pressure sensors |
| 2667 | Service bulletin | Apr 6, 2020 | Updated status of models in network |
| 2661 | Service bulletin | Apr 6, 2020 | Claim Management during Pre-Delivery Inspection (PDI) |
| 2663 | Service bulletin | Mar 25, 2020 | Ferrari Predictive Maintenance â Incompletely compiled Ferrari Next documents |
Quote the number at the service desk. It is what the dealer’s system is keyed on.
Every manufacturer communication NHTSA holds for Ferrari, by the number printed on the letter.
Common questions
Source: NHTSA, 49 CFR 579.5Is Ferrari 163 a recall?
No. A service bulletin is a manufacturer communication filed with NHTSA under 49 CFR 579.5; a safety recall carries an NHTSA campaign number (two digits, a letter, six digits) and a federal duty to repair for free. Check the vehicle’s recalls by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls, or on its page here.
Is the 163 repair free?
Not automatically. A service bulletin describes how to diagnose or repair a condition; who pays depends on the warranty in force, any extension, and the dealer. Quoting the number can save a diagnosis either way.
Which vehicles does 163 cover?
The manufacturer filed it against 35 model years: 2019 Ferrari 488 GTB, 2018 Ferrari 488 GTB, 2017 Ferrari 488 GTB, 2016 Ferrari 488 GTB, 2019 Ferrari 488 Pista, 2018 Ferrari 488 Pista and more. Whether one particular vehicle is affected is a matter of its VIN and its build, not its model year alone.